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 Deb Stover & Sid Vineburg
Opinion - Tuesday, September 08, 2009
(Green Bay) - Over the course of the last month we have seen those with a partisan political agenda disrupt listening sessions and pro-reform rallies with the intent of changing public opinion against healthcare reform and to stifle the pro-reform message. These Republicans have stiffeled and, in some cases, ruined the opportunity to hold a productive discussion about an important issue.
The media is required to cover the listening sessions, the forums and rallies of each side. However the guerilla tactics the Republicans are using is to disrupt any message in favor of reform. They have been doing this by organizing with the intent to disrupt the pro-reform message and intimidating the general public from attending. The anti-reform groups are Republicans with an eye on defeating Democrats in 2010. Fox Valley Initiative is lead by a Republican campaigning for state assembly. Wife of past 8th CD candidate John Gard was handing out “Stop Obama Socialism” signs at a listening session. A former Gard for Congress employee was handing out pamphlets and asking leading questions at a listening session. The Green Bay Chamber of Commerce who endorsed John Gard held a one-sided forum on Tuesday night and is hosting a rally against healthcare reform next Tuesday. In short, the Republicans are using healthcare as an issue to attack Congressman Kagen. They are first and foremost interested in defeating Congressman Kagen and secondarily interested in defeating healthcare. One prime example of this was at the “listening session” on Monday night at Southwest High School. A woman announced that her son was serving in Iraq to thunderous applause. She then thanked Congressman Kagen for bringing a Vet Center and a soon to be built VA Hospital to the area. After her remarks, it was only health care reform supporters applauding. Why would the opponents of healthcare reform applaud a veteran but not applaud the hard work Congressman Kagen has done on behalf of the veterans? The answer is simple, the crowd was there to defeat Congressman Kagen and the issue happens to be healthcare. In your reporting of tonight’s rally, you will not have to report on the disruptions. There won’t be any organized attempts at disruption from our end. I hope you will ask these big business groups that have the power to reform the system from within without government intervention, why they haven’t already. I hope you would ask why President of the Green Bay Chamber of Commerce Paul Jadin agrees with Congressman Kagen on the major points of reform but coordinates a rally against the reform anyway? I’m sure you know what that this is a staged rally by those opposed to reform. Just like your reporting of the same group’s forum last week, the intent of this rally should be pointed out. |
